


An Exercise in Futility

by sparrowrider



Series: borroweronpa [2]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - Borrowers Fusion, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, G/T, Giant/Tiny, Halloween, borrower makoto naegi, naegi tries to get togami to have fun for once, thats it thats the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:20:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27281827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparrowrider/pseuds/sparrowrider
Summary: Halloween has always been something of a mystery to Makoto, but his new friends are determined to make sure he has fun.Now if only he can get Togami to do the same.(Occurs before the events of THH.)
Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko & Naegi Makoto, Naegi Makoto & Togami Byakuya
Series: borroweronpa [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1991953
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	An Exercise in Futility

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This piece was written for a contest in a G/t (stands for Giant/tiny)-themed Danganronpa Discord server I'm in! Check it out [heret](https://discord.gg/a5fWxpZsnD)!
> 
> This piece occurs before the events of the killing game, a time period in which Makoto's classmates are aware of his existence. It's honestly just some fluff without much plot, but I hope you enjoy anyway, and happy almost-Halloween!

It’s a clear, chilly Monday morning when Makoto steps out of the tunnels and promptly screams bloody murder.

The tunnels had been implemented into the walls of Hope’s Peak for his convenience; they wind through the school, with exits in the places most important for him. Including, in this case, his homeroom class.

Which, for some reason, is currently filled with pumpkins carved with warped, eerie faces that emanate a soft golden light.

As he regains his bearings, one hand clutched to his chest, he hears the voices of his classmates rumbling above him:

“Holy crap, was that Makoto—?”

“Is he dead?! He’s not dead, is he?!”

“Of course not! Probably just startled ‘cuz someone put one of the jack ‘o lanterns right by his little tunnel…”

The voices continue to argue above him as he takes a step back, getting a good glance at the pumpkin. He’d seen beans cutting up pumpkins around this time of year before, though he’d never been able to figure out why. Considering how quickly they rotted and were disposed of, it seemed like a pointless tradition.

As he mulls this over, the voices begin to quiet as one voice cuts through the rest. 

“Back up,” Kirigiri says. “Don’t crowd him.”

He peers upwards as the girl in question marches forward, kneeling beside him with a bemused expression. “Are you alright?”

Makoto laughs sheepishly, feeling heat rushing to his face. “Um—yeah, sorry, I—it just startled me.”

Kirigiri nods, and moves to stand back up, but Makoto is faster with the question that has been sitting on the tip of his tongue since he arrived.

“What are those things, anyway?”

The silence that ensues is palpable.

“You’ve never seen a jack ‘o lantern?!” Hagakure, from his spot near the back of the classroom, blurts out. Makoto can see the shock etched into his face even from where he is.

The weight of everyone’s eyes on him prompts the back of his neck to prickle, and he lets out another short, sheepish laugh. “Um...I mean, I’ve seen them before, but I...I never knew what they were for.”

“They’re purely decorative,” Kirigiri answers, once more cutting through the surprised murmurs that crop up. “It’s a tradition to make them for Halloween.”

“What’s Halloween?”

Pandemonium follows.

“You’ve never celebrated Halloween?! Oh my gosh, you’ve been missing out on so much—“

“Don’t make him feel bad!”

“I guess it makes sense that he wouldn’t have celebrated it…”

Makoto simply stands there, his face growing warmer as his classmates continue to bicker. Finally, as the voices quiet down, Asahina’s voice rises above the rest.

“It’s super fun! When you’re a kid, you get to dress up and go around and people give you candy! We don’t do that so much now, but we are going to have a party—your very first Halloween party! It’ll be awesome!”

What an odd concept for a holiday. Not that Makoto can complain; any excuse to attend a fun event with his classmates is good enough for him. 

“If this party’s gonna be Makoto’s first Halloween, we better make it a good one,” Hagakure adds, shooting him a grin and a thumbs-up. Makoto finds himself grinning in return; his energy is infectious, it seems.

“That’s all very well and good.” A new voice enters the fray—Makoto isn’t surprised that Togami has decided to add his two cents—“But it’s time for class to begin. Unless you all are determined to erode at this valuable time with your tomfoolery?”

“Oh, take that stick out of your—“

“It’s fine!” Makoto shouts, cutting Asahina’s snide response off. “Togami-kun is right. We can talk about this later.”

The class murmurs in begrudging agreement as Makoto scurries up the climbing wall onto the terrace that had been built to hold his desk. As their homeroom teacher sheepishly begins to read off announcements, however, he finds that he can’t get his mind off of Halloween.

* * *

“So...why exactly do you guys dress up?”

Classes and research went by in a blur, and Makoto soon finds himself sitting on Kirigiri’s desk as they eat lunch. Crowded around the desk are several of their classmates, a sight that makes his heart swell; since he’d started befriending Kirigiri, he had been trying to rope the others friends he had made into eating with her, and he was pleased that his strategy to create one big, happy friend group seemed to be working.

Asahina is the one to answer after swallowing a protein-infused drink, courtesy of Sakura. “I’m not sure where the tradition started,” she admits. “But it’s really fun! And you can dress up as anything you want!”

“Anything?”

“Yeah! Like…when I was seven, I went as a mermaid.” She giggles sheepishly at this. “Even back then, I was obsessed with the water.”

“That does sound like fun,” Makoto admits.

“Then you’re in luck!” Hagakure cuts in. He pounds his fist on the table to punctuate his point, prompting tremors to ripple through the desk, and Makoto finds himself grasping at Kirigiri’s bento to remain stable. 

“Hagakure!” Asahina reprimands. “Careful!”

“Sorry, sorry.” The aforementioned waves his hand lazily. “But as I was gonna say, the party tomorrow is a costume party! You should totally dress up!”

“Really?” Makoto bounces eagerly in place. “That sounds awesome! Are you all dressing up?”

“Sure am!” Asahina chirps in response. “I’m going as a dolphin, and Sakura—” Here she places an arm around the mentioned girl’s shoulder, whose face goes faintly pink. “—is going as a shark!”

“I’m going as a ghost,” Hagakure proudly announces. 

“What about you, Kirigiri-san?” Makoto pipes up, turning to face the girl in question. Kirigiri hesitates, a gentle frown etched into her face, before speaking:

“I’m not dressing up.”

Ignoring Hagakure’s subsequent exclamation of surprise, he frowns. “Why not?”

“I’ve never done it before. I’m not going to start now.”

Makoto bites his lip. Kirigiri is wearing the same guarded expression she wears whenever someone inadvertently brings up a topic she doesn’t like to talk about. He knows he should leave it alone, but…

“Maybe we can do it together.”

Kirigiri blinks. “What?”

“I’ve never dressed up either,” he points out, keeping his tone cheerful. “It’ll be a first for both of us. Maybe we can even coordinate, like Hina-san and Oogami-san!”

Kirigiri’s eyes soften. It’s almost imperceptible, but he’s gotten good at picking up on her subtle mannerisms.

“The party is tomorrow,” she finally responds. “How are we going to get costumes in time?”

“There is an Ultimate Seamstress in the other class.” Oogami leans forwards as she speaks, a faint smile on her face. “I am sure he would be happy to assist you. He agreed to help Aoi and I, after all.”

“Great!” Makoto claps his hands together, shooting Oogami an appreciative look. “What do you say, Kirigiri-san?”

Kirigiri hesitates. He can see her mulling it over, but finally, she sighs softly. “Very well.”

As the rest of the table chimes in with happy suggestions, something catches his eye: Togami, sitting in the back corner of the classroom. Aside from Toko, who is watching him hungrily from a couple desks away, he is completely alone.

“I’ll be right back,” he suddenly pipes up. Before anyone can question him, he scurries over to the edge of the desk, slides down the leg, and makes his way over to where Togami is sitting.

He scales the desk’s leg easily with the help of his fishing hook, and as he emerges onto the surface, he sees that Togami is fully engrossed in a book. He clears his throat delicately, and the boy's icy gaze immediately sweeps over him, sending a chill down his spine.

Despite this, he puts on his biggest, brightest smile.

“What,” Togami says flatly. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“I was just talking to Kirigiri-san and a few others,” Makoto chatters, rubbing the back of his neck. “We were talking about our plans for the Halloween party tomorrow. Are you coming?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Togami’s gaze narrows. “My time is wasted on such childish whims.”

“But it might be fun. And it’s a costume party!”

Togami’s face twists into a sneer. “Need I repeat myself? Parading about with commoners would be nothing more than an endeavor in foolishness for me.”

“How would you know?”

This gives Togami pause. “...What?”

“Have you ever celebrated Halloween before?”

“Of course not. I am a Togami; such silly celebrations are beneath me and my kind.”

“Well, if you’ve never done it before, you don’t know that for sure, right?”

Togami’s face screws up in a very un-gentlemanly way, and Makoto barely manages to repress a snicker. “I—you—“

“This is Kirigiri-san’s first Halloween, and mine, too. We can all dress up and have fun together. Please just think about it. You can always change your mind during the party and leave.”

With that, he gives Togami a cheerful salute and hops off, sliding down the table leg as the Ultimate Affluent Progeny falls silent behind him.

* * *

“Are you ready?”

“I’m not sure about this.”

“If you’re uncomfortable, you can change back!”

“...No, I’ll be alright.”

Makoto’s tail flits back and forth underneath the colorful fabric feathers that spill down from his back as he waits for Kirigiri to finish. The rest of his costume is constructed of similar faux feathers, and a small, paper beak is strapped over his nose and mouth. He’s never seen a parrot in real life, but he thinks the Ultimate Seamstress did a fantastic job of making him look like a pretty, multicolored bird.

Finally, Kirigiri emerges from her room, and Makoto sees her in costume for the first time from his spot on the floor.

It’s a relatively simple costume: a long, dark black cloak with loose-fitting brown pants and a belt with a shiny golden buckle. On her head rests a pointed hat with a skull-and-crossbones, and over her left eye rests an eyepatch. Her long, soft purple hair has been swept into an elaborate fishtail braid that rests along one shoulder.

The beam on Makoto’s face could probably rival the sun in brightness. 

“You look awesome!” he cheers. “Just like the pirate I saw on TV that one time!”

Kirigiri fiddles with the hem of her sleeve. “It’s not...too much?”

“It’s great.” To punctuate his statement, he flashes her a cheesy thumbs up, and she snorts.

“Ready to go?” she responds instead of dignifying that with a response. When Makoto nods, she stoops down, resting one upturned palm on the ground. Makoto eagerly scrambles on, and Kirigiri slowly stands, lifting her hand so that it is level with her shoulder and allowing Makoto to hop off.

With that, Kirigiri begins to make her way out of the dorms towards Hope’s Peak.

Most of the class is already there once they arrive. The classroom is now covered in fake cobwebs and cutouts of skeletons and pumpkins; a faint fog swirls at their feet, and a table in the back has been set up and loaded with plates of delectable goodies. Somewhere, a multicolor light flashes, and some oddly cheery song about monsters plays in the background.

As they walk in, they draw the eyes of their classmates, most of whom immediately exclaim in delight at their matching costumes. Asahina, holding Sakura’s hand, marches to the front of the classroom, the two wearing matching costumes and smiles.

“Oh my gosh! A pirate and a parrot! That’s so adorable!” Asahina coos. 

“Now I just feel lame,” Hagakure comments from behind her. Makoto peers around Asahina to see that his ghost costume consists of a bedsheet with two holes poked in it for his eyes, and he has to stifle a laugh into his hand.

“You guys look really cool, too,” he hastily responds. “Everyone does. And the classroom looks great!”

“Yeah, Taka-kun really went all out, huh?”

As Asahina draws Kirigiri into an easy conversation, Makoto’s attention is caught once more by Togami, who is standing awkwardly in one corner, sans costume. He hastily taps on Kirigiri’s neck to get her attention, and as she diverts her gaze towards him, he points towards Togami.

“Can we go talk to him?”

Asahina scoffs. “Are you sure you want to talk to Togami-kun? He’s been sulking there since the party started. I’m not even sure why he came.”

Makoto smiles sheepishly. “I just thought I’d say hi. Maybe he’s feeling lonely.”

“I don’t know if he’s capable of feeling anything other than snootiness,” Asahina snorts. “But good luck.”

Makoto bids her farewell as Kirigiri steers herself towards Togami, the latter of whom glances up as they approach. He quickly straightens up, brushing an invisible speck from his coat, and plasters on his typical icy gaze.

“You came!” Makoto greets him. “I’m glad!”

“It’s not because of what you said,” Togami cuts in hastily. “I just wanted to see what commoners like to do for myself on this holiday. And somehow, it’s managed to disappoint even my abysmally low expectations.”

Makoto doesn’t allow his smile to fade. “Well, I’m just happy you’re here. Even if you’re not in costume.”

Togami simply scoffs at that, though Makoto thinks he sees some pink blooming in his cheeks.

“There’s a whole party to enjoy,” he adds, missing the knowing glance Kirigiri shoots him. “You can’t do anything by standing her alone all night. Come join us.”

“What, so your swimmer friend can shoot me dirty looks all night? No thank you.”

“Hina-san is nice if you would just talk to her without turning up your nose.” 

“I don’t expect someone like you to understand.”

Beside him, he can feel Kirigiri sigh. “Naegi-kun, you’re being too nice,” she grouses. “Togami-kun, are you coming with us or not?”

Makoto trains his gaze on Togami, waiting with bated breath as the boy seems to mull over his answer. Finally, Togami sighs dramatically, rolling his eyes to the sky, and says, “Fine. But only because it’s better than hearing you pester me all night.”

Makoto’s smile could rival the sun as he responds, “You won’t be disappointed!”

With that, Kirigiri turns and swiftly marches back over to Asahina, while Togami begrudgingly follows. Internally, Makoto cheers; Togami has put distance between himself and his classmates since the beginning of the year, and it seems as if Makoto might finally be making progress in breaking the boy’s walls down. They’re a class, after all; they should be friends. 

As Kirigiri immediately begins to mediate an argument sparked by Togami and Asahina, Makoto can’t help the smile that plays on his lips, even at his friends’ bickering; for a first Halloween party, he’s off to a pretty good start.


End file.
